Initial	Any	Any	Any	Any	Any	No
Setting						Adjustment
Setting	Over	Paved	Over	Over	Any	Tighten
1	20 km/h	Path		80 rpm	150 w		Shoe
Setting	Over	Paved	Any	Under	Any	Loosen Shoe
2	20 km/h	Path		100 w
Setting	Any	Off	Any	Any	Any	No
3		Road				Adjustment
Setting	Any	Any	Under	Under	35.5° C.	Loosen Shoe
4			60 Rpm	100 w
•	•	•	•	•	•	•
•	•	•	•	•	•	•
•	•	•	•	•	•	•

Here, thecommunicator20 is configured to carrying out the communications between thecontroller22 and thebicycle sensors26. Also, thecommunicator20 is configured to carrying out the communications between thecontroller22 and thephysical fitness monitor28. Moreover, thecommunicator20 is configured to carrying out the communications between thecontroller22 and thesecond sensor30. Thus, thecommunicator20 is configured to receive at least one of bicycle information and user information. Preferably, thecommunicator20 is configured to receive both the bicycle information and the user information. Of course, depending on the configuration ofcycling shoe system10, thecommunicator20 may only receive either the bicycle information or the user information.

Alternatively, the information that is received by thecommunicator20 can be considered first information relating to information other than a shoe condition, and second information relating to a shoe condition. For example, thecommunicator20 is configured to receive first information from an external device. The external device can be, for example, one or more of thebicycle sensors26 and/or thephysical fitness monitor28. Also, the external device can be a mobile phone, a computer tablet and/or a personal computer.

Thus, the first information can include the bicycle information and/or the user information other than a shoe condition. On the other hand, thecommunicator20 is configured to receive second information relating to a shoe condition from the second sensor30 (e.g., thetemperature sensor30A, thepressure sensor30B and thehumidity sensor30C). In this case, thecontroller22 is configured to control theactuator18 to adjust a tightening force applied by theclosure16 to a target tightening force based on at least one of the first information and the second information relating to a shoe condition.

As seen inFIG.4, thecommunicator20 is configured to carrying out the communications with thesecond sensor30 by wired communication such as by a dedicated signal wire or by a power wire using power line communication (PLC). On the other hand, thecommunicator20 is configured to carrying out the communications with thebicycle sensors26 and the physical fitness monitor28 using wireless signals. Thus, thecommunicator20 includes a wireless communication circuit and a wired communication circuit. Thus, the wired communication circuit of thecommunicator20 can be considered to be a wired communicator that is configured to conduct wired communications with thesecond sensor30.

The wireless communication circuit of thecommunicator20 is a wireless communicator. In other words, the wireless communication circuit of thecommunicator20 is configured to wirelessly communicate with thebicycle sensors26 to wirelessly receive the bicycle information and the physical fitness monitor28 to wirelessly receive the user information. The term “wireless communicator” as used herein includes a receiver, a transmitter, a transceiver, a transmitter-receiver, and contemplates any device or devices, separate or combined, capable of transmitting and/or receiving wireless communication signals. Here, thecommunicator20 can be a receiver that receives the bicycle information and/or the use information. The wireless communication signals can be radio frequency (RF) signals, ultra-wide band communication signals, radio frequency identification (RFID), ANT+ communications, or Bluetooth® communications or any other type of signal suitable for short range wireless communications as understood in the bicycle field.

As seen inFIG.2, the upper12 has afirst portion31, asecond portion32 and anopening34 between thefirst portion31 and thesecond portion32. Here, the upper12 has atongue portion36 located between thefirst portion31 and thesecond portion32. Theclosure16 is coupled between thefirst portion31 and thesecond portion32. In the illustrated embodiment, theclosure16 includes at least one reel based closure. Preferably, theclosure16 includes afirst closure36 that is automatically operated by thecontroller22, and asecond closure38 that is manually operated. Thefirst closure36 and thesecond closure38 are both reel based closures in the illustrated embodiment. It will be apparent that the second closure38 (i.e., the manually operated closure) can be omitted if needed and/or desired. Moreover, the location and configurations of thefirst closure36 and thesecond closure38 can be changed as needed and/or desired so long as they can carry out the tightening of the upper12.

In any case, theclosure16 includes a strap tightener (thefirst closure36 and/or the second closure38) and ashoe strap40 extending between thefirst portion31 and thesecond portion32. Here, the strap tightener (thefirst closure36 and/or the second closure38) is a reel based tightener and theshoe strap40 is a cord. Thetongue portion36 is provided with aguide42 for receiving theshoe strap40. Thefirst portion31 of the upper12 has twofirst guides44 for receiving theshoe strap40. Thesecond portion32 of the upper12 has threesecond guides46 for receiving theshoe strap40. Theshoe strap40 extends through the first guides44 and the second guides46. The strap tightener (thefirst closure36 and/or the second closure38) is configured to selectively wind theshoe strap40 to tighten the upper12 on the user's foot, and is configured to unwind theshoe strap40 to loosen the upper12 on the user's foot. In the illustrated embodiment, thestrap tightener40 of theclosure16 is configured to be manually tightened.

As seen inFIG.3, thefirst closure36 includes areel36A and acable36B. Thecable36B has a first end coupled to thereel36A such that thecable36B can be wound onto thereel36A to tighten the upper12 on the user's foot and unwound from thereel36A to loosen the upper12 on the user's foot. As seen inFIG.1, thecable36B has a second end coupled to the first guides44 for moving the first guides44 with respect to thefirst portion31 of the upper12. In this way, theshoe strap40 is selectively pulled and released in response to the operation of thefirst closure36.

Theactuator18 is operatively coupled to theclosure16 to adjust a relative position of thefirst portion31 and thesecond portion32. Here, as seen inFIGS.3 and4, theactuator18 includes amotor50 and amotor driver52. Themotor50 is controlled by the amotor driver52 in response to commands received from thecontroller22. Thecycling shoe system10 further comprises afirst sensor54 that is configured to detect the tightening force applied to the upper12 between thefirst portion31 and thesecond portion32. Thus, thecontroller22 controls themotor50 based on detection results of thefirst sensor54. Here, themotor50 rotates aworm gear56 that is engaged with agear36C of thefirst closure36. Thegear36C is mounted to thereel36A such that thereel36A and thegear36C rotate together. Thus, rotation of themotor50 is transmitted to thereel36A via theworm gear56 and thegear36C.

Thefirst sensor54 is basically a position sensor such as a potentiometer, a photo interrupter, a rotation sensor, and a rotary encoder. Here, thefirst sensor54 is illustrated as a rotary encoder that detects a rotation position of thereel36A. Thefirst sensor54 basically includes a detectedpart54A and adetector54B. The detectedpart54A is mounted to thereel36A or thegear36C to rotate therewith. Thedetector54B is mounted to stationary part (e.g., a housing) of theclosure16. The detectedpart54A can be, for example, a series of magnetic poles, and thedetector54B can be, for example, magneto-resistive or Hall Effect detector. The term “sensor” as used herein also refers to a hardware device or instrument designed to detect the presence of a particular object or substance and to emit a signal in response. The term “sensor” as used herein also do not include a human.

Referring toFIG.4, thecycling shoe system10 further comprises afirst power source60. Here, thefirst power source60 is a rechargeable battery. Alternatively, thefirst power source60 can be a replaceable battery such as one or more button batteries. In the illustrated embodiment, thecycling shoe system10 further comprises anon-contact charging coil62. In this way, thefirst power source60 can be recharged from electric power from thenon-contact charging coil62. Alternatively, or in addition, thecycling shoe24 can be provided with a charging port for receiving electric power via a power cable. Thefirst power source60 and thenon-contact charging coil62 form a power receiver for wirelessly receiving electric power without physically contacting a charger.

Referring now toFIG.5, the physical fitness monitor28 will now be discussed in more detail. As mentioned above, the physical fitness monitor28 is an example of an external device. Physical fitness monitors such as the physical fitness monitor28 as well known. Here, the physical fitness monitor28 is designed to be worn on a user's wrist. The physical fitness monitor28 includes adisplay70 for displaying various information to a user. Thedisplay70 is preferably a touch screen that functions as a user input.

The physical fitness monitor28 further includes acontroller72 includes at least oneprocessor72A that executes a predetermined control program. The at least oneprocessor72A can be for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU). Thus, thecontroller72 is an electronic controller. Thecontroller72 further includesdata storage device72B. Thedata storage device72B stores various control programs and information used for various control processes. Thedata storage device72B includes any computer storage device or any non-transitory computer-readable medium with the sole exception of a transitory, propagating signal. For example, thedata storage device72B includes a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory.

The physical fitness monitor28 further includes acommunicator74 which is a wireless communicator. Thecommunicator74 is configured to wirelessly communicate with thecommunicator20 of thecycling shoe24. Thus, thecommunicator74 wirelessly communicates the user information to thecontroller22 of thecycling shoe24. More specifically, the physical fitness monitor28 includes a plurality ofbiometer sensors76 and a plurality ofenvironmental sensors78. Thebiometer sensors76 include a heart rate sensor, a body temperature sensor, a blood oxygen concentration sensor and a blood lactate level sensor. Theenvironmental sensors78 include an air temperature sensor and a humidity sensor.

Referring now toFIG.6, anon-contact charging device80 is diagrammatically illustrated. Thenon-contact charging device80 basically includes acontroller82, acommunicator84 and apower transmitter86. Thenon-contact charging device80 is configured to wirelessly transmit electric power to thecycling shoe24. More specifically, thenon-contact charging device80 is configured to wirelessly transmit electric power to thenon-contact charging coil62 of thecycling shoe24.

Thecontroller82 includes at least oneprocessor82A and adata storage device82B. The at least oneprocessor82A can be for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU). Thecontroller82 can include one or more microcomputers. Thecontroller82 is formed of one or more semiconductor chips that are mounted on a circuit board. Thus, thecontroller82 is an electronic controller. Thedata storage device82B stores various control programs and information used for various control processes. Thedata storage device82B includes any computer storage device or any non-transitory computer-readable medium with the sole exception of a transitory, propagating signal. For example, thedata storage device22B includes a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory.

Thecommunicator84 is a wireless communicator for wirelessly communicating with thecommunicator20 of thecycling shoe24 for controlling the recharging of thefirst power source60. Preferably, thewireless communicator82 is a two-way wireless communicator (e.g., a transceiver) in that information is preferably exchanged between thecommunicator20 of thecycling shoe24 and thecommunicator84 such as connection, charging and discharging status.

Thepower transmitter86 basically includes anon-contact charging coil86A and asecond power source86B. Thenon-contact charging coil86A is configured to wirelessly transmit the electric power from thesecond power source86B to thenon-contact charging coil62 of thecycling shoe24. Thus, thenon-contact charging coil62 is configured to wirelessly receive electric power from thesecond power source86B, and to supply the electric power to thefirst power source60. The non-contact charging coils62 and86A can use magnetic resonance which can transmit electric power up one or two meters.

Referring now toFIG.7, parts of a bicycle B that relate to thecycling shoe system10 are diagrammatically illustrated. The bicycle B is provided with acontroller92 and a communicator94. Thecontroller92 communicates with thebicycle sensors26 and thecommunicator92. The communicator94 communicates with thecycling shoe24. Thecontroller92 and the communicator94 can be separate components or can be integrated into a single component. For example, thecontroller92 and the communicator94 can be integrated into a cycle computer as in the illustrated embodiment.

Here, thebicycle sensors26 include aforward speed sensor26A, a pedalingcadence sensor26B, a pedalinginput sensor26C and aGPS sensor26D. Thecontroller92 receives input signals from thebicycle sensors26, and controls the communicator94 to wirelessly transmit the bicycle information from thebicycle sensors26 to thecycling shoe24. Theforward speed sensor26A is configured to detect information corresponding to a forward speed of the bicycle B. Thecadence sensor26B is configured to detect information corresponding to a rotational speed of a crank axle of the bicycle B. The pedalinginput sensor26C is configured to detect information corresponding to a torque applied to a crank of the bicycle B by a human driving force. TheGPS sensor26D is configured to detect information corresponding to global positioning coordinates of the bicycle B.

Thecontroller92 includes at least oneprocessor92A and adata storage device92B. The at least oneprocessor92A can be for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU). Thecontroller92 can include one or more microcomputers. Thecontroller92 is formed of one or more semiconductor chips that are mounted on a circuit board. Thus, thecontroller92 is an electronic controller. Thedata storage device92B stores various control programs and information used for various control processes. Thedata storage device92B includes any computer storage device or any non-transitory computer-readable medium with the sole exception of a transitory, propagating signal. For example, thedata storage device92B includes a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory.

The communicator94 is awireless communicator92 for wirelessly communicating with thecommunicator20 of thecycling shoe24 for controlling the recharging of thefirst power source60. Preferably, thewireless communicator92 can be either a one-way communicator or a two-way wireless communicator. For example, thewireless communicator92 can be a transmitter that transmits the bicycle information to thecommunicator20 of thecycling shoe24, or a transceiver that sends and receives signals.

Referring now toFIG.8, acycling shoe124 is illustrated in accordance with a second embodiment. Thecycling shoe124 includes an upper112 that is identical to the upper12. Thus, the upper112 has afirst portion131, asecond portion132 and anopening134 between thefirst portion131 and thesecond portion132. However, here, the upper112 is provided with afirst closure136 that is automatically operated, and asecond closure138 that is manually operated. Thefirst closure136 and thesecond closure138 are both reel based closures in the illustrated embodiment that wind and unwind ashoe strap140. Thefirst closure136 is operatively coupled to a controller in the same manner as in the first embodiment. Thus, the upper112 can be automatically tightened based on bicycle information and/or user information in the same manner as the upper12 of thecycling shoe24.

Accordingly, the main difference between thecycling shoe24 and thecycling shoe124 is location of the automatically operated (first) closure. In particular, in thecycling shoe124, thefirst closure136 and thesecond closure138 are provided to thefirst portion131 of the upper112 for directly winding and un windingshoe strap140. Thefirst portion131 of the upper112 has afirst guide144 for receiving theshoe strap140. Thesecond portion132 of the upper112 hassecond guides146 for receiving theshoe strap140. Theshoe strap140 extends through thefirst guide144 and thesecond guide46. Thefirst closure136 and thesecond closure138 are configured to selectively and independently wind theshoe strap140 to tighten the upper112 on the user's foot.

In view of the similarities between thecycling shoe24 and thecycling shoe124, for the sake of brevity, thecycling shoe124 will not be described in further detail. Rather, the description of thecycling shoe24 can be used to readily understand thecycling shoe124.

In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts unless otherwise stated.

As used herein, the following directional terms “frame facing side”, “non-frame facing side”, “forward”, “rearward”, “front”, “rear”, “up”, “down”, “above”, “below”, “upward”, “downward”, “top”, “bottom”, “side”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “perpendicular” and “transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a bicycle in an upright, riding position or the cycling shoe in resting in a horizontal position.

The phrase “at least one of” as used in this disclosure means “one or more” of a desired choice. For one example, the phrase “at least one of” as used in this disclosure means “only one single choice” or “both of two choices” if the number of its choices is two. For another example, the phrase “at least one of” as used in this disclosure means “only one single choice” or “any combination of equal to or more than two choices” if the number of its choices is equal to or more than three. Also, the term “and/or” as used in this disclosure means “either one or both of”.

Also, it will be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Thus, for example, a first component discussed above could be termed a second component and vice versa without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

The term “attached” or “attaching”, as used herein, encompasses configurations in which an element is directly secured to another element by affixing the element directly to the other element; configurations in which the element is indirectly secured to the other element by affixing the element to the intermediate member(s) which in turn are affixed to the other element; and configurations in which one element is integral with another element, i.e. one element is essentially part of the other element. This definition also applies to words of similar meaning, for example, “joined”, “connected”, “coupled”, “mounted”, “bonded”, “fixed” and their derivatives. Finally, terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean an amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed.

While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, unless specifically stated otherwise, the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components can be changed as needed and/or desired so long as the changes do not substantially affect their intended function. Unless specifically stated otherwise, components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other can have intermediate structures disposed between them so long as the changes do not substantially affect their intended function. The functions of one element can be performed by two, and vice versa unless specifically stated otherwise. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature which is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such feature(s). Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.